[Study of monocyte function in patients with cervical cancer by using T-lymphocyte monocyte interaction in response to phytohemagglutinin (author's transl)]

Monocytes have been thought to play an important role in the immune surveillance system of cancer patients since monocytes were shown to participate as accessory cells in the induction of T-cell proliferation to PHA by Potter et al. in 1977. We had already reported the depression of monocyte function with the progress of cancer after PHA response of mononuclear cells obtained by centrifugation of Ficoll-Hypaque and lymphocytes obtained by depletion of monocytes ingesting Silica from mononuclear cells was compared in cancer patients. In that study, however, monocyte function was considered not to be indicated truly because responding cells were different at each examination. Therefore, in this study responding cells were graded as T-cells obtained from healthy volunteers and monocytes were added to the T-cells. Monocyte function in this study was as follows: PHA response to T-cells and monocytes over PHA response to T-cells. In this study, monocytes were allogenic to T-cells. At first, the influence of monocytes to allogenic T-cells was studied but it was found to be negligible. The ratio of monocytes and T-cells was 1:1. The concentration of PHA was 20 micrograms/ml. Finally, the monocyte function of patients with cervical cancer was studied. It was increased at the stage of CIS and then gradually decreased. At the advanced stage, it was significantly decreased to comparison with that of healthy volunteers.

The prognostic value of serum immunosuppressive effect in patients with ovarian cancer

Sixteen patients who underwent surgery and postoperative chemotherapy for carcinoma of the ovary were studied. Eleven survived more than 18 months without evidence of recurrence, and 5 died more than 5 months after surgery. Serial determinations were made preoperatively and postoperatively of the immunosuppressive effect of the serums of these patients on the response of normal lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin stimulation. These determinations were plotted for each patient; the shapes of the curves for patients who survived are markedly different from those of patients who died. The prognostic value of these findings is discussed.

Immunosuppressive effect of serum in patients with ovarian carcinoma

Cell-mediated immune response was measured in 23 patients with ovarian cystadenocarcinoma, 38 patients with benign ovarian tumor, and 44 healthy volunteers. The method used two indexes: the lymphocyte response per unit volume of peripheral blood to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and the immunosuppressive effect of serum on the response of normal lymphocytes to PHA stimulation. The lymphocyte response per 50 microliter peripheral blood did not differ significantly between patients with ovarian cancer and healthy volunteers. The serum effect, in contrast, differed significantly between malignant and benign ovarian tumors, and was found to increase significantly even when the cancer masses were as small as about 5 x 5 x 5 cm in size, ie, in FIGO Stage I. It is our belief that the measurement of the serum effect in patients with any ovarian tumor enables the early detection of ovarian cancer.